The discussion below is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Aspects of the invention relate to a container assembly for liquids, such as beverages and oils, comprising a container, chimes and a valve assembly for feeding a propellant to and dispensing the liquid from the container. The invention further relates to a group of container assemblies, e.g. stacked on a pallet.
WO 2011/134949 relates to a container for liquids, such as beverages and oils, comprising a blow molded polyester casing, a valve for dispensing the liquid from the container, and an inlet for introducing a propellant. The casing is enveloped by a stretch blow molded polyester shell. Further, in an embodiment, the top and the base of the shell are shaped to render the container stackable, as shown in FIG. 4 of WO 2011/134949.
It is explained in WO 2011/134949 that containers having a relatively high length to width ratio (L/D) and/or a relatively long cylindrical portion facilitate logistics, e.g. more containers can be placed on a pallet, and facilitate cooling, e.g. four containers fit in a standard size refrigerator.
DE 10 2009 044 314 addresses the problem of providing a stacking aid for kegs, in particular kegs made from a synthetic material, such as PET, PP or PEN, to enable secure and economical stacking of kegs on a pallet.
To this end, DE 10 2009 044 314 provides a stacking aid for containers having a first dome-shaped region (top 7 in FIG. 1 of DE 10 2009 044 314) and a second dome-shaped region (bottom 9). The stacking aid comprises a first element releasably positioned on the first dome-shaped region and a second element releasably positioned on the second dome-shaped region.
On pallets, container assemblies such as kegs are subjected to considerable forces, in particular during transport.